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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a filter for use inside storm water inlet basins, beneath perforated covers such as perforated manhole receptacles and catch basins with grates.
2. Background-Description of Prior Art
Storm water collection systems are located throughout our city streets and parking lots providing flood control and drainage. The storm water needs to be as free as possible from pollutants before it enters our natural water systems such as streams. To ensure that our water sources are protected the handling of storm water is becoming more regulated. In order to meet these concerns, many inventions have been patented that provide an anti pollution support filter insert systems for catch basins and manholes. Most of these inventions are unnecessarily expensive.
Caldwell (U.S. Pat. No. 1,310,055) develops a storm water device to strain out large debris such as sticks and leaves and allows them to be broken up before passing down stream or be removed manually. This apparatus is ineffective in separating sand or small particulate such as cigarette filters from the storm water before flowing downstream from the opening.
A. Levy (U.S. Pat. No. 1,746,121) and George F. Egan (U.S. Pat. No. 2,102,310) show a receptacle for mounting below a storm water inlet. The large basket is constructed of metal. It is heavy and very complex. This would be very expensive to manufacture. They both require large equipment to install and maintain.
F. Lane (U.S. Pat. No. 2,615,526) shows a basket mounted entirely below a catch basin grate. It comprises a rigid metal frame for the basket, which is suspended from rods secured directly to the bottom of the grate. This would be very time consuming and awkward to install. A grate is already heavy and hard to handle. The frame when attached to the grate would be difficult to install without damaging the metal frame. Furthermore, its complexity makes it expensive to manufacture.
Oscar S. Arntyr et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,232) shows a double basket mounted entirely beneath a storm drain opening and grate. The device is unnecessarily complex. The initial top screen basket is unnecessary. It removes pollutants that would have been removed by the below second filter anyway. The second stage basket cannot be serviced or emptied by hand unless the whole frame is removed. The rigid frame cannot be easily adapted to the various sizes of grates or accommodate typical angular distortions. The frame with its descending circumference is unnecessarily complex and expensive to manufacture. There is no provision for a bypass to accommodate high flows or filter failure.
Logue, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,923) and John F. Harris et al. (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/769,212 Group Art unit 1724) show a basket essentially below the grate of a drain opening. A substantial amount of the apparatus extends above the grate. This can be a traffic hazard, and the apparatus would be vulnerable to wear and vandalism. Apparatus shown in Logue and Harris also do not provide an overflow bypass. Accordingly, during high storm water flows or filter failures these systems would cause water to back up onto the street.
Holly S. McDermott (U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,691) shows a receptacle entirely below a storm water inlet with a perforated cover. The receptacle, however, has limited pollutant storage capacity. McDermott discloses as system having four separate baskets, one on each corner, which would required time consuming manual cleaning as they are too small for being serviced by a typical large street vacuuming machine. Further, the fixed frame mounting does not easily adjust to the various distorted angles encountered in many rectangular storm water inlet openings. The drain basins are often out of square or of slightly different measurements than anticipated. The frame is unnecessarily expensive to manufacture. The pollutant sock is small in size and would quickly saturate, thereby becoming ineffective.
Accordingly, what is required is a new drain basin filter and accompanying support structure that have none of the above discussed disadvantages.
The present invention solves the aforementioned and other problems by providing a filter with an accompanying support structure that is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install remove, and simple to service.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing descriptions.